The fourth of the Four Key Faith Practices is Rituals and Traditions. Including rituals and following traditions of one sort or another in your home faith practices can add richness to your devotional time.

Faith Practices and Four Keys

Today’s post is the fourth and final in a series on the Four Key Faith Practices, a framework that comes from the doctoral work of the Rev. Dr. David W. Anderson. Its history and more information can be found at Milestones Ministry. Dr. Anderson recently wrote a blog post for us on his related Five Principles of Faith Formation. The Four Key Faith Practices framework is the basis for our faith-at-home devotional resources Taking Faith Home (Revised Common Lectionary) and Sharing God’s Story @ Home (Narrative Lectionary).

The Four Keys are:

1. Caring Conversations
2. Devotions
3. Service
4. Rituals and Traditions

Today’s post is on the fourth Key: Rituals and Traditions.

Faith Formation and Faith Practices

What is faith formation? The definition I use here at Spirit & Truth Publishing (as a publisher of faith formation resources) for Christian faith formation is:

Every action, experience, or relationship that nurtures a transformative relationship of trust with the Triune God and shapes the way we see and interact with God’s world.

You can learn more on our page “What Is Faith Formation?”

What is a faith practice? A faith practice (also called a spiritual practice or a spiritual discipline) is a repeated action intended to help someone grow in their faith. Faith practices, such as prayer, worship, fellowship, learning, and service, can be done individually or together with a partner, family, small group, or even a large community. 

Fourth Key: Rituals and Traditions

The fourth key in the Four Keys is Rituals and Traditions. 

Rituals

What is a ritual? It is a particular action that is repeated, often in identical ways and often at particular times or in a specific pattern. We can talk about habits as rituals. Whenever I leave home, I always touch my pockets to make sure I have my cell phone and wallet. 

But, at least in a faith-focused setting, a ritual is a particular action or set of actions that is often rich with religious meaning. A liturgical worship service is filled with a series of rituals. Within a Christian religious setting, often the pinnacle ritual is that of the Lord’s Supper (also called Communion and the Eucharist). Even non-liturgical congregations tend to say the same words (the Words of Institution) and repeat the same actions (like how communion is distributed).

Faith-based rituals can also be done individually or with others, especially in a home setting. The home setting is the primary focus of rituals as the faith-at-home resources Taking Faith Home (Revised Common Lectionary) and Sharing God’s Story @ Home (Narrative Lectionary).

Traditions

A tradition is a belief or practice that has been repeated over a longer period of time, often something that has been handed down through generations. Many families have holiday traditions—specific ways each holiday is celebrated.

This is also the case with religious holidays (holy days) and liturgical seasons. It is a tradition within some Christian denominations to give up something during the season of Lent (or as a more modern tradition, to add a faith practice). Congregations and some families light candles on an Advent wreath during the four weeks of the Advent season. And during the Easter season, we often add the call-and-response “Christ is risen. / He is risen indeed!” wherever we can.

Together

The Four Keys puts these two pieces together: repeated actions that have been handed down through generations of the faithful. In our faith-at-home resources, Taking Faith Home (RCL) focuses on different practices corresponding to the current liturgical season. Sharing God’s Story @ Home (NL) uses the tradition of a blessing: a statement combined with the tracing of a cross on the recipient’s forehead or hand. (Taking Faith Home places the blessing in its own section, “A Blessing to Share.”)

A Few Tips

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Use a resource. If you are using a resource like the two we publish, just follow the provided instructions. Other resources can also provide their own suggestions.
• Make up your own. There isn’t a reason that you (and your partner, family, etc.) can’t invent your own rituals and traditions, either related to something else (like a liturgical season) or on its own.
• Use a trigger. It is helpful to determine a consistent time and place. Perhaps it can be before or after a meal, before bed, when you first wake up in the morning, or during a devotional time.

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

Order Faith Formation Resources

Are you planning for summer and the 2026-2027 faith formation programming? Order an affordable VBS-ready Learning Together unit and program-year curriculum for the Narrative Lectionary (Year 1, 2026-2027), Revised Common Lectionary (Years A & B, 2026-2027), or Key Bible Stories (non-lectionary, PK-2nd, 3rd-6th).

New RCL faith-at-home resource!

I’m excited to announce a new product series for Spirit & Truth Publishing: Taking Faith Home. Taking Faith Home is a set of weekly devotional resources (often distributed as worship bulletin inserts) that follows the Revised Common Lectionary. We offer it as a Church Year (Dec. 2025 to Nov. 2026) and a Program Year (Sept. 2026 to May 2027). You can also purchase by quarter, such as Summer and Fall. Learn more here and read a review!

VBS, Events, Retreats, and More!

Are you looking for resources for VBS, topical Sunday school, family/intergenerational events, retreats, and more?

Are you running behind on VBS? Learning Together can help. This series of affordable, five-lesson units on a variety of topics can be downloaded immediately, use basic supplies you probably already have, and are so easy to use that you can hand the leader’s guide out that day (though that’s not recommended)!

Like all of our faith formation resources, Learning Together is effective, theologically sound, and inclusive. Each unit can be used at any time in many different settings, but here are a few suggestions:

+ VBS: Paul’s Adventures (NEW!), Celebrations, Created to Care, God’s Gift of Water, Heroes of the Bible
+ Education, Events, and Retreats: The I AM Statements of Jesus (free!), Travelers (Immigrants and Refugees), Do Justice, Celebrations, Women of the Old Testament, Bible 101

Building Faith has recommended two of our units as VBS curriculum: Paul’s Adventures (reviewed in 2026) and Celebrations (reviewed in 2025)!

You can also read outside reviews on both our Do Justice and Created to Care units.

Our Resources

At Spirit & Truth Publishing, we might have exactly what you are looking for:

• Resources for the Narrative Lectionary (2026-2027): Products for all ages, including mini lessons for PK-6th, if you only have a short time for elementary faith formation.
• Classic Sunday School Curriculum: Key Bible stories for PK-2nd and 3rd-6th, also great for your Christian elementary school!
• Learning Together: Five-lesson, topical units for family events, VBS, Sunday school, children, and intergenerational groups.
• Resources for the Revised Common Lectionary (2026-2027): Intergenerational classroom, mini lessons for children, faith-at-home resource.
• Faith-at-Home for the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A, Fall 2026 and Years A & B, 2026-2027): A NEW faith-at-home devotional resource for families. Learn more about Taking Faith Home (RCL)!
• Cross+Generational Confirmation
• Worship and Liturgy Education

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